Process for purification of potable and polluted waters



'- Patented Feb. 4, '1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR PURIFICATION OF PO TABLE AND POLLUTED WATERS Oliver M. Urbain and William R. Stemen, Columbus, Ohio, assignors to Charles H. Lewis, Harpster, Ohio No Drawing. Application October 27, 1934,

Serial No. 750,386

6 Claims. (Cl. 210-23) 10 The present invention is principally concerned with the removal of tastes and odors.

The tastes and odors in potable water'are due to the presence-in the water of organic compounds which have their origin in decomposing organic matter or the passage of industrial wastes into the original watershed. Bacteria, algae, ameba and many'other forms of animal and vegetable life are responsible for the tastes and odors due to the decomposition of organic 2o matter which we find in our potable water supplies. Many public water supplies are also conterminated with phenols. Such is the case in many cities located on the Ohio River and the Great Lakes. Even a few hundredths of 1.0

,p. p. m. of phenols will result in a bad taste and odor in the finished water which has been 01110-- rinated. These tastes and 'odorsare due in large part to chlorophenols and chlorocresols.

For the purpose of removing tastes and odors in-potable water supplies, activated carbons are now employed. The powdered carbon is added to the water before'coagulation, and, after its action is complete, is coagulated from the water with aluminum sulfate. and like coagulants. The

activated carbons used for this purpose are quite expensive and constitute an important item in the final costs of purification.

The present invention contemplates the use of a material which 'is not only much less expen- 40 sive but which also will remove considerably more of the taste and odor producing compounds per unit of weight, and accomplish this result in less time than the activated carbons now employed for the purpose. '-It is more efficient for the purpose from any angle which may be considered.

' In the purification of polluted water as distinguished from potable water, the requirements are quitedifierent. In this case the problem involved is one applied to the removal of organic compounds which are in true solution, and which are responsible for the B. O. D. (biochemical oxygen demand) of a polluted water after the suspended matter and the colloidal matter has been removed. This B. 0. D. varies greatly for 5 the different wastes. The B. O.-D. of a few representative polluted liquids, after the removal of the suspended and colloidal matter, are given as follows:-

Waste 10-day B. o. D. 20 c. Dilute sewage 32 Strawboard waste 370 Tannery waste 340 Creamery waste 220 15 Concentrated sewage Packing house waste 2200 The elimination of the B.O.D. of the true solution fraction of the various wastes is a problem oi? considerable magnitude. 'It is to the solution of 20 this problem in the field of polluted liquids and to the problem of eliminating the tastes and odors from potable watersupplies that the presend invention is directed; The applications of the process are somewhat diflerent, that is, the process is varied to meet varying conditions.

The basic material employed in the process consists of chlorinated coal. This material is the base material used for the purposes enumerated. The constituents of the base material 30 which actually do the work are the chlorine derivatives of coal, and their derivatives. Therefore, when the words chlorinated coal are used in this specification and the claims it will be understood that they are inclusive of the chlo- 35 rine derivatives of coal, and their derivatives.

In the preparation of the base material we employ powdered coal such as sub-bituminous, bituminous or anthracite coal, powdered to pass through a 5 mesh to 20 mesh screen. The coal 40 is chlorinated at a temperature varying from room temperature to C. by. passing chlorine gas through the mass. Above 125C. the chlorine compounds decompose, so care should be taken to keep the temperature below this critical point. 45 In this chlorination process, catalysts such as iron, iodine, sulfur or lead may to advantage be employed, though their use is not essential. The temperature of the coaln' tss rises somewhat during chlorination. Hydrochloric acid gas and 50 water vapor are copiously given ofl". Smaller quantities of carbon oxides, hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons are given ofi.

in the finished product. The chlorinated coal is more porous than the original coal, therefore it has a. greater surface exposure. The fragility of the chlorinated coal is not appreciably different from that of the original coal when hard coals are employed. When soft coals are employed the chlorinated product is much harder than the original coal. The chlorination .should be carried out in an apparatus made of materials capable of withstanding the action of hydrochloric acid. a

The action of the chlorine on the coal may be expressed by the following factors:

1-Chlorine substitutes for hydrogen in the hydrocarbon part of the so-called coal conglomera e.

2Chlorlne oxidizes certain groupings and made under #2.

5-Chlorine renders soluble the inactive inorganic constituents (coal ash) of the coal, such as iron and its compounds, sulfur and the alkaline earth metal compounds, which, upon removal by washing, open up the coal structure, increasing the active surface of the mass.

6--Chlorine, activates the surface of the mass by'shifting the adsorbed and absorbed gases.

In the treatment of water, the mode of application may be by a filter arrangement or by adding the material in a finely powdered condition directly to the water to be treated, followed by adequate agitation and subsequent coagulation. If used as a filter, the particle size of the material should be from 5 mesh to 10 mesh; if added directly to the water the fineness may be such that the particles will pass through a 40 mesh screen.

By using chlorinated coal as a filter material, one not only obtains a splendid mechanical filter but an extremely active chemical filter as well. Chlorinated coal is particularly active in the removal of organic acids, alcohols, aldehydes, amines, ketones, mercaptans, nitriles, phenols, cresols, sulfides, sulfones, sulfoxldes and the substituted products of allof these groups.

The mechanism of the removal of the organic compounds by chlorinated coal, are as follows:-

1-Sorption 2-.Metathesis 3-A dditlon (chemical) When chlorinated coal is employed in a filter it may, upon exhaustion, be regenerated by back washing with chlorine water, or by passing gaseous chlorine through the filter.

When used as a filter a time period of contact of approximately 20 minutes'will be found adequate. The filter may constitute the last step in a complete purification treatment. The size of the filter is of no importance so long as a suitable time period of contact is provided for.

When used in the powdered form, the chlorinated coal is added just ahead of the coagulation step and given approximately 15 minutes of agitation. When used in potable water purification, the chlorinated coal is added before or during the coagulation step and agitated for about fif teen (15) minutes.

As an example of the eificiency of this material in treating polluted water, the following table is given:

A quantity of municipal sewage was chemically treated to remove only colloids and suspended matter. The eflluent containing the organic matter in solution was adjusted to pH 8.0 and filtered. 400 c.c. samples were treated with 10 grams of chlorinated coal and agitated for varying time periods, and the BOD. determined on the eiiluents from this step. Results were as follows:

A potable water similarly treated was freed of all trace of odor and taste.

Having thus described our invention, claim is:-

1. In a process for the treatment of potable and polluted waters, the step of subjecting the water to the action of chlorinated coal.

2. In a process for the treatment of potable and polluted waters, the step of subjecting the water to the action of chlorine derivatives of coal.

3. A process for the purification of potable waters to remove objectionable tastes and odors comprising treating the-potable water with a chlorine derivative of coal.

4. A process for removing phenols, cresols, chlorocresols, and chlorophenols from mtable water supplies comprising subjecting the water for a time period not substantially in excess of 20 minutes to the action of chlorinated coal.

5. A process for removing phenols, cresols, chlorocresols, and chlorophenols from potable water supplies comprising subjecting the water for a time period not substantially in excess of 20 minutes to the action of a chlorine derivative of coal.

6. In a process for the purification of water, the step of removingorganic materials in soluwhat we tion in the water bypassing the water through a filter consisting essentially of chlorinated coal.

OLIVER M. UltBAIN.

WILLIAM R. S'I'EMEN. 

